Pages

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

NYRB Classics Giveaway. . .

Yippee! I'm halfway through!

Last Labour Day, I set out to read 50 NYRB Classics within a year, and I've now finished 25 books. I'm falling about a month behind, but the first half of the year is always really busy for me at work, and so I'm fairly confident that I can catch up. If I can't, I'll just extend my deadline until December 31st (hey, it's my challenge, I can change the rules) and that way, the length of the books shouldn't be as much of a factor in my selections (I have my eye on a 600 page novel as my next pick).

I must say, a part of me is happily surprised that I've gotten this far, as I'm always embarking enthusiastically on reading challenges and then quickly losing steam (or interest). But it's a credit to the editors at NYRB who really do have an eye for great literature, that this has been such an enjoyable journey. I keep discovering these amazing books and writers and the minute I've finished one book, I really look forward to browsing my NYRB shelf and seeing what next piques my interest. As an avid reader, I'm very grateful to all the folks at NYRB for keeping these books in print. For a full recap of my reading challenge so far, you can click here.

I know I'm not the only NYRB fan out there (or wanna-be fan) and so here's your chance to show your love. I'm giving away a fabulous NYRB bag filled with lots of NYRB books and galleys. Just leave a comment or e-mail me at mscott@randomhouse.com and tell me which NYRB Classics book is your favourite and why. If you've never read one, tell me which one you'd most like to read. Their full list is located here. (And yes, I'm looking for recommendations for the second half of my challenge). I'll throw all names into a hat, pick a winner and then contact you for your mailing address. This contest is open to anyone living in Canada or the United States and I'll accept entries until Monday, April 5th, 2010.

7 comments:

I cannot tell you how many of these books I have on my wishlist. Unfortunately, I imposed a new book buying rule on myself 6 months ago - only buying used books from local businesses. Still, I really want to read "Wish Her Safe at Home" by Stephen Benatar. I love a story about the fragile nature of psychological well-being. I especially can't turn away a 1st person narrative of a character's descent into madness.

there's so much good stuff, of course, but my favorite has to be "hons and rebels" by jessica mitford. i'm a sucker for the mitford girls, i admit, but even if it were another family, there are so many elements here to be charmed by.

Congratulations on your progress! Reading about your challenge here inspired me to take a closer look at the NYRB titles. I'm about to start Sunflower, by Gyula Krúdy.

My favourite to date is Stefan Zweig's Chess Story — it's small and intense, pitting 2 characters opposite in manner and temperament against each other in a match. You don't have to know chess to appreciate their difference in worldview.

To my knowledge I've only read NYRB book but I'll happily proclaim it a favorite. Elaine Dundy's The Dud Avocado was so fresh and funny with such a charismatic narrator. It's so great that you have found a challenge that is keeping you excited to read more for it. I look forward to reading more NYRB book reviews.

Subscribe To Our Dewey Feed

Buying in Canada

Buying your books in Canada means that you are an integral part of the Canadian publishing industry, keeping thousands of Canadians employed, supporting Canadian authors and illustrators, sustaining programming in libraries and ensuring that our stories will be told for many generations...so THANKS!!!!

Twitter Feed

Who We Are

We’re a group of Canadian publishers’ reps - all passionate readers - who have been giving book talk presentations of our favourite reads to librarians and school teachers. We present our picks for the best upcoming books for kids, teens and adults in a variety of genres, and introduce readers and educators to forgotten gems and new writers that they may have missed. In 2009 we received the Ontario Public Library Association’s Leadership in Adult Readers’ Advisory Award.

Librarian and Teacher Resources

Periodically the Dewey Divas produce handouts and booklists as resources for teachers and librarians. As these become available we'll list them here. Please feel free to ask us to e-mail you any of these lists if you would find them useful.

Top 100 Elementary Books for K-8: Vol 3

This covers books published between August 2009 and September 2010
E-mail Saffron at saffronb@katewalker.com for a copy